TNAG-0419-FCO40-465-Registration-of-merchant-shipping-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 94

With reference to sub-paragraph (ii) the task of comparing and endeavouring to equate standards of certificates of competency issued by different maritime countries should not be under-rated. This is generally recognised as being a difficult undertaking so much so that" it is only now that an effort is being made internationally in IMCO and ILO to prescribe mandatory minimum standards of qualifications for various categories of seafarers.

As regards sub-paragraph (iv), the preparation of examination papers in Chinese and the marking of scripts, and the conduct of the oral practical and signals examinations in Chinese at 2nd Mate and 2nd Engineer levels will necessitate the appointment of specially qualified staff. It will also be necessary for the Director of Marine to be satisfied that the examinations in Chinese are of the appropriate standard and are properly conducted. It is not clear at present how he would achieve this.

Reference to the powers of the Hong Kong administration to give dispensations to officers up to 1st Mate and Chief Engineer level has been deliberately omitted from Annex A because this power is already available and in use.

Reference has also been omitted from Annex A to the point made in paragraph 8 of the consultative document to the proposed negotiations with LEC countries and Norway with a view to easing nationality requirements on United Kingdom ships initially at levels up to 1st Mate and Chief Engineer on a reciprocal basis. The reason for this is that in reaching an early decision on setting up a Hong Kong register it could be misleading to hold out hope that the position may become easier in time at Master level as a result of developments later in the EEC context. There is no reason at this stage to believe that this will necessarily prove to be the case. For that reason so far as the Hong Kong project is concerned the package should be as outlined in Annex A.

However at our meetings with the shipping industry next week we can if necessary refer briefly to the impending action in the ECC context on which the Department will be consulting them further in due course.

It is not clear how Hong Kong shipowners could be held to an undertaking that they would register "x" million tons of shipping on the new Hong Kong register within a specified period. As and when substantial progress has been made in preparing the way by the appointment of additional staff one cannot discount the likelihood of the shipowners stating that a large proportion of their tonnage cannot be transferred as they would wish unless they are allowed to continue to employ their existing foreign Masters, many of whom have served on their ships for some years and who hold foreign certificates, mainly issued by Taiwan. Such pressure may be very difficult to resist at about the time the register is duc to be set up.

Safety Equipment Standards

No thought has yet been given to Japanese reaction to any proposal of a review of their testing procedures by another Administration. Acceptance of Japanese equipment for British ships without complete rociprocity would be seen as adverse to British trade and competitiveness in world markets and resented by United Kingdom industry. Presumably what should be aimed at is the manufacture of items of equipment in the colony.

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